Case fastener



March 6, 1962 J. M. COMMONS Y CASE FASTENER Filed Jan. 4, 1960 INI/EN TOR United States Patent 3,023,793 CASE FASTENER Joe M. Commons, Glendale, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Joseph K. Seitz, Sunland, Calif. Filed Jan. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 161 Claims. (Cl. 15G-1.6)

This invention relates to hand containers and particularly to a portfolio or courier case of the general type shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,984,150, of December 11, 1934, and Reissue Patent No. 19,189, of May 29, 1934.

The portfolio or case described in detail hereinafter is one which is quick closing and quick opening, and when closed provides a particularly neat and pleasing exterior appearance. There are no locks or zippers required, the case being practically self-closing by a tab which is insertable under a keeper strap across tbe front of the bag, neither the tab nor the strap being visible when the case is closed. The case is also quickly opened by simply lifting the edge of the cover of the case, which removes the tab from the keeper strap.

The principal object of the invention, therefore, is to facilitate the closing and opening of a portfolio or hand case.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved closure for a portfolio or hand case which may be rapidly closed and opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved hand portfolio or courier case which requires no hardware and which is positively closed while being easily opened.

A better understanding of this invention may be had from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portfolio or case embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional View showing the case in closed position; and

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Referring, now, to the drawings in which the same numerals indicate the same elements, the case embodying the invention has a front wall 5, a rear wall 6, and a cover 7, the walls 5 and 6 being connected by flexible gussets 9 and 10. The front and rear walls 5 and 6 and the cover 7 may be of one piece of ilexible leather, plastic, orvsimilar material, or may be of separate sections sewn or otherwise attached to provide the form shown in FIG. 1. To the front wall 5 is attached a keeper strap 12 n any suitable manner such as by rivets 13 and 14, the ends of the straps passing through slots such as 20 and covered by patches 15 on the inner side of wall 5.

Along the outer edge of the cover 7 is attached, such as by sewing or other suitable manner, a reinforcing strip 16, at the central edge of which is attached, such as by sewing, a locking flap 17. If the cover 7 is of suiciently stiff material, no reinforcing strip is required. The flap 17 is normally substantially parallel with the cover 7 and may be reinforced with a semi-rigid ber insert or constructed of a double thickness of stit leather or similar material as shown in FIG. 2.

ICC

FIG. 2 shows how the closing of the case is accomplished. It is only necessary to simply rotate the cover 7 which permits the flap 17 to be inserted under the keeper strap 12. This is easily accomplished since the Wall 5 is of exble material and easily adjusts itself to the insertion of the ap 17.

To open the case, it is only necessary to raise the outer edge of the cover 7 which removes the flap 17 from the keeper strap 12. When the case is closed, neither the flap 17 nor the strap 12 are observable so that the case provides a particularly neat appearance.

I claim:

1. A portfolio comprising rectangular front and rear Walls, interconnecting members between said walls, said front and rear walls being connected to each other at their edges by said interconnecting members to define an opening therebetween, a rectangular cover member for said opening, a comparatively narrow keeper strap on the outer surface of and attached to said front wall below the opening edge of said front wall and positioned at the central section of said front wall, and a semirigid flap member centrally positioned and attached parallel to the edge portion of said cover member and adapted to be inserted under said keeper strap when said portfolio is closed, said strap and said ap member being hidden when said portfolio is closed to provide a rectangular appearance to the front of said portfolio.

2. A portfolio in accordance with claim 1 in which said front and rear walls and said cover member are of one piece of material.

3. A portfolio in accordance with claim l in which said flap member is reinforced with a semi-rigid member and is of a width substantially equal to the distance from said opening edge of said front wall to the edge of said keeper strap farthest removed from said opening edge of said front wall.

4. A portfolio comprising a rectangular front wall, a rectangular rear Wall, expandable interconnecting members, said front and rear walls being connected to each other at their edges by said interconnecting members to define an opening therebetween, a rectangular cover attached to said rear wall to close said opening between said walls, a ap at the edge of said cover and in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the edge portion of said cover, said flap having a length of approximately one-half the length of said cover, and a comparatively narrow keeper strap adjacent said opening and `attached to the outer surface of said front wall and having a length substantially equal to the length of said Hap, said ilap being adapted to be positioned between said strap and said front wall said flap and strap being covered by said cover and only the outer surface of said cover being observable when said portfolio is closed.

5. A portfolio in accordance with claim 4 in which said ap is reinforced with a semi-rigid member and is of a width substantially equal to the distance from said v opening edge of said front wall to the edge of said keeper strap farthest removed from said opening edge of said front wall.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

